DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
DURHAM, N. C.
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Digitized by the Internet Archive
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EDENTON STREET METHODIST
SUNDAY SCHOOL
RALEIGH, N. C.
HISTORICAL SKETCH
Commemorating the Opening
of the
New Sunday School Building
April 28, 1912
By SUSAN FRANKS IDEN
Edwards & Broughton Printing Company
Raleigh, N. C.
Ur.
INTRODUCTION
When asked by the superintendent to pre-
pare a sketch of the history of Edenton Street
Sunday School from 1881, when the old build-
ing was dedicated, up to the present, I felt
keenly my inability to perform the task assigned
me. Mr. Brown prefaced his request, how-
ever, with the question: "You are a member
of Edenton Street Sunday School, are you
not ?" So as a loyal member of the school and
with the one hope to preserve in some part the
history of her glorious past, I entered into the
work. How small that part would be I did not
realize until I found that unfortunately the rec-
ords of the school had been destroyed, with the
exception of only a few years. And with
them has gone the story of many of those who
in other days laid the foundation upon which
the school is rising to greater heights today.
This little sketch, therefore, can be consid-
ered in no way a history of Edenton Street Sun-
day School and its workers, for as the faces and
smiles of many rise in memory before me, none
realizes more than I how incomplete it is.
S. F. I.
Ealeigh, April, 1912.
A SKETCH
OP
Edenton Street Sunday School Today
With Something of its Past History
1827-1912
From 1881 to 1910 there stood under the
wing of Edenton Street Methodist Church, as
it were, a little square, unpretentious wooden
building, in its later years it was weather-
beaten iind gray without, its steps worn by
many feet. Passing within the swinging doors
of I lie vestibule, the Sunday School room, too,
as many of us remember it, had a worn and
faded look, a look of much service. The walls
had become discolored, and in places the carpet
was worn, but always and to its last hour above
the platform smiled the happy word "WEL-
COME." They were not very artistic letters,
to be sure, that had been painted there when the
school was young, but they served their pur-
pose through the years. One saw it first on en-
tering the door, and a stranger's heart must
have felt a thrill of pleasure as he realized that
in EdentoD Street Sunday School there was a
6 E dent on Street Sunday School
welcome for all. And the welcome has always
been a big part of the Sunday School. The
glad hand of fellowship and love has always
been freely extended, and today our genial and
beloved superintendent is noted for the cordial-
ity and warmth of his welcome to all who come
within the doors of the school.
But there was a time when the old building
was new, reflecting the skill of the contractors,
Messrs. Ellington & Royster, fresh with new
paint and well fitted and handsome within. It
had been built to meet the need of better ac-
commodations and more comfortable quarters
for the children and other members of the
school. The committee that submitted the plan
for the building was composed of Messrs. W. J.
Young, S. C. White, J. A. Jones, J. S. Wynne,
C. B. Barbee and K G. Whitfield.
In a sketch of the Sunday School, prior to
that time, written by Mr. Donald W. Bain, he
says : "Their efforts in raising the means have
been seconded by the ladies of the church, to
whom much credit is due for the success of the
enterprise." They had felt the need, as our
still greater Sunday School has felt it, of a
larger building and better equipment, and, put-
ting their hearts in the work, they erected this
Edenton Street Sunday School 1
edifice, which was 80 feet in length and about
40 feet in width, costing $3,000.
On Sunday afternoon, April 10, 1881, the
members of Edenton Street Sunday School ded-
icated this building "to the worship of God and
the cause of Christian education," praying that
many should go forth in the providence of God
to bless the church and society.
In the forenoon of that Sunday, the late Rev.
A. W. Mangum, D.D., a former pastor, deliv-
ered the dedicatory sermon. In the afternoon
addresses were made by Rev. A. A. Boshamer,
the pastor, and H. A. Gudger. It was at this
afternoon service that Mr. Donald W. Bain
read his splendid sketch of Edenton Street
Sunday School. Beginning back in 1824 with
the first Sunday School established in the city
by Miss Susan D. Nye, in the Academy build-
ing on Burke Square, and the Sunday School
formed soon after under the auspices of the
American Sunday School Union, the history of
Sunday Schools in the city, and later of Eden-
ton Street Sunday School, was faithfully traced
up to the day of dedicating the new building,
April 10, 1881. In thus preserving the rec-
ords of our first Sunday School Mr. Bain did
a service that lives today after he has passed to
8 E dent on Street Sunday School
his reward, one of the most faithful and loyal
members that ever labored for the interest and
good of the school. We are indebted to him
for the preservation of the names of the fathers
of the school.
On the list are the names of many who were
well known figures in the city in their day,
leaders in all good works. They laid the foun-
dations, on which we are building today ; they
sowed the seeds and today we are reaping a rich
harvest. Most of them have passed to their
reward, and surely it must be a great one.
If today Rev. Bennett T. Blake, pastor of
Edenton Street Church in 1827, and the
founder of the Sunday School, could be pres-
ent, he would truly rejoice as he saw the splen-
did fruits of his labors, the wonderful growth
that has come from his initial movement, almost
a hundred years ago, to separate the Union
Sunday School into schools of different de-
nominations. Renewed activity and increase
of membership was the immediate result.
The Methodists opened their Sunday School
in the church building, and it has been said that
for a number of years there were morning and
afternoon sessions. Mr. Nathaniel O. Blake
was the first superintendent, being succeeded
Rev. H. M. North, Pastor
Edenton Street Sunday School 9
in turn by Eev. Thomas J. LeMay, L. W. Peck
(for two years), Rev. Thomas LeMay, Samuel
H. Young, W. J. Young, Sr., Donald W. Bain
and W. J. Young, St. (second term).
In 1839, after the destruction of the church
building, the school was conducted for a short
time at the corner of Hargett and Fayetteville
Streets. It was then moved to the Baptist
Church in Moore Square. In 1841 it came to
meet again in the newly erected mother church.
As far back as 1850 the importance of pro-
viding a separate room for the school engaged
the attention of its authorities, when the first
move in that direction resulted in failure. The
next movement was made in 1874, when a com-
mittee was appointed to consider the matter of
an infant class room. Owing to the agitation
of the question of a new church edifice at that
time the project was not carried out. In 1878
the superintendent, so moved by a sense of
duty to the children, and realizing the neces-
sity of enlarged facilities for their comfort, ap-
pointed a committee to procure a plan for a
room for their use. Instead the committee sub-
mitted a plan for a building for the whole
school ; the result being the erection of the
building which was dedicated in 1881.
10 Edenton Street Sunday School
Among those who are remembered by the
older members of the school for their faithful
labor of love in the early days of the school and
whose work has brought forth rich fruit, are
Rev. Thomas J. LeMay, for more than twenty
years superintendent of the school ; Mrs. Eliza-
beth Felton, assistant superintendent; Samuel
II. Young, superintendent from 1850 to 1866;
Misses Susan and Emma White, Miss Corinna
LeMay, John C. Palmer, Mrs. Lucy B. Evans,
Ann Augusta Young, afterwards Mrs. Holden ;
William W. Holden, Robert W. Best, Donald
W. Bain, Samuel C. White, II. A. Gudger, D.
S. Waitt, Miss Louisa M. Hill, who devoted
forty-seven years to the instruction of classes
for women and children ; T. H. Selby, for more
than twenty years president of the Sunday
School Society ; William Hill and Ruffin
Tucker, Miss Emma E. Hunter, George T.
Cooke and his wife, Mary Y. Cooke, Mrs. Eliz-
abeth Nixon, Benjamin K. Pull en, Mrs. Har-
riet Whitaker, Rev. ISTuma F. Reid, pastor of
the church 1855-1856, and his successor, Rev.
Joseph H. Wheeler; Miss Priscilla McKee,
William M. Brown, Edward B. Thomas, Wil-
liam B. Huthchings, Misses Fannie and Sallie
Smith, Mary Anna Hill. Miss Blanche Fentress,
E dent on Street Sunday School 11
Mrs. Eliza LeMay, Mrs. Lucinda Tucker, Mrs.
Jane S. Young, Mrs. Sarah McCauley, Mrs.
]STancy Selby, Mrs. William White, Mrs. Ann
R. Lipscomb, Henry L. Evans, Eldriclge Smith,
John E. Young, William T. Bain, L. W. Peck,
Henry Porter, C. W. D. Hutchings, Mrs. Syl-
vester Smith, Miss Elizabeth F. Bain, Mrs. Eliz-
abeth B. Bledsoe, Miss Geneva Harrison, Miss
Julia Hutchings, Rev. W. J. Crowder, John
Myatt, M. A. Bledsoe, William H. Cook and
William C. Doub, C. H. Belvin, Mrs. Elizabeth
Belvin, Miss Eleanor Royster (now Mrs. G. E.
Iden), and Miss Rebecca Murray.
12 Edenton Street Sunday School
DEDICATION OF THE OLD SUNDAY
SCHOOL BUILDING
The following account of the dedication of
the then new Sunday School building appeared
in a daily paper following that day, April 10,
1881.
On Sunday the very large and handsome Sunday
School building of Edenton Street Methodist Church
was for the first time opened for public services
and was formally dedicated. The building is of
wood and seats over six hundred. It is in a lot just
east of the church and adjoining it. The interesting
ceremonies attracted a large audience. At 11 o'clock
the Sunday School scholars and teachers marched
from the church into the new schoolroom. The
choir sang an appropriate anthem, and Rev. A. W.
Mangum, of Chapel Hill, formerly a pastor of the
church, read the morning services. The choir then
rendered "Never Be Discouraged," after which prayer
was offered by Rev. Mr. Mangum. The choir and
congregation sang the hymn "At the Beautiful Gate."
Rev. Mr. Mangum took his text from the 90th Psalm,
16th verse, and delivered a sermon of great power
and marked beauty of language and thought. This
gentleman is considered one of the most eloquent
divines in the State, and he fully sustained that
reputation on Sunday. At the conclusion of the ser-
mon, prayer was offered by the Rev. A. A. Boshamer.
The Sunday School building is 80 feet long and 40
feet wide, with an infant class in the rear seating
100 children. The building cost $3,000.
Edenton Street Sunday School 13
In the afternoon interesting services were held
in the new building. Addresses on the subject of
Sunday Schools were delivered by Dr. A. W. Man-
gum, Rev. A. A. Boshamer, D. W. Bain, and H. A.
Gudger.
The Sunday School at that date, 1881, had
37 officers and teachers and 355 scholars. Mr.
W. J. Young, Sr.j was superintendent, having
in 1880, for the second time, accepted that of-
fice.
With the new building and comfortable
equipment the school took on new life, Rev. A.
A. Boshamer, the pastor, making the following
report to the Quarterly Conference, May 2,
1881, following the opening of the new Sunday
School :
We have a Sunday School in flourishing condition.
In fact the school is now enjoying a greater degree
of prosperity than it has hitherto known. On yes-
terday the attendance was larger than we have ever
had. This increase of interest may be attributable
largely to the fact that we have just entered our new
Sunday School room, which is commodious, pretty,
and attractive.
Early in July, following the dedication of
the school in April, the old church building was
torn down to be replaced by the church which
stands today on the same spot as the old build-
ing. It was built under the superintendence of
14 Edenton Street Sunday School
Mr. Thomas H. Briggs. The corner-stone of
the new church was laid September 13, 1881,
the following being taken from a daily paper of
that date :
This afternoon the cornerstone of the new Metho-
dist church, which occupies the site of the old one,
at the corner of Edenton and Dawson streets, will
be laid. The ceremonial of laying a cornerstone of
a church is prescribed in the Methodist Discipline.
Much interest has been manifested in this new
church, and there has been a great liberality shown
in the way of contributing towards the fund of its
erection. The cost will be about $22,000. The build-
ing will be built of brick, with a front on Edenton
street of 55 feet. It will have in the center of the
front a tower 20 feet square, which will project 18
feet from the building. This tower will be sur-
mounted by a spire, the total height of which will be
184 feet. This will make it the loftiest in the city.
The church and the spire will be covered with slate.
The church will be rectangular in form and quite
lofty, with large windows and heavy buttresses. The
trimmings will be of galvanized iron and terra cotta.
The building will have a length of 90 feet, independ-
ent of the 18 feet depth of the tower.
Also the following:
Quite a large number of persons witnessed the lay-
ing of the cornerstone of the new Edenton Street
Methodist church on Edenton street yesterday after-
noon. Rev. A. A. Boshamer, the pastor, officiated,
assisted by Revs. Joseph H. Wheeler, Prank L. Reid,
R. P. Bumpas, and L. Branson. The impressive
service prescribed in the Discipline of the Methodist
Edenton Street Sunday School 15
Episcopal Church, South, was used. Engraved on the
side of the stone facing the south, "September 13,
1881." The appropriate hymn, No. 780, was sung. A
number of various articles were deposited in the
cavity of the stone by Mr. D. W. Bain, secretary of
the building committee. Under the direction of Mr.
George T. Cooke, chairman of the building committee,
the stone was placed in position. The services were
concluded by singing the long metre doxology and
benediction by Rev. Mr. Boshamer.
That was the last public act of Rev. A. A.
Boshamer, pastor of Edenton Street Church.
Arising from a sick bed to perform this cere-
mony for his church, he returned to it after the
ceremony, and on Wednesday morning, October
12th, after an illness of a little over four weeks,
of typhoid fever, he passed on to join the others
who had preceded him and some who had
worked with him in Edenton Street church.
On Thursday, at 5 o'clock p. m. the funeral
service was held in the Sunday School room,
the room being draped in mourning. A sketch
of Rev. Mr. Boshamer's life and an account of
the funeral service was added to the sketch of
the Sunday School written by Mr. Bain, and
has no part in this little sketch except that his
name may be remembered as one who gave the
best he had to the service of our Sunday
School and church.
16 Edenton Street Sunday School
In November following, the Sunday School
had two life-sized crayon portraits made to
adorn the walls of the Sunday School room ;
one of the late Rev. 1ST. F. Reid, D.D., a former
pastor, and the other of the late Rev. A. A.
Boshamer.
They have been familiar faces to all who have
come within the doors of the old school build-
ing. They have looked down in benediction on
the people that have followed them reaping the
fruits of their labors.
FIRST MARRIAGE IN NEW BUILDING
On the morning of November 10, 1881, a
very pleasant event occurred in Edenton Street
Sunday School room, the first occasion of the
kind to be celebrated in the new building. It
was an event in which Mr. Joseph G. Brown,
our present superintendent, had a peculiar in-
terest and one to which he often refers. It gave
him a very tender feeling toward the old build-
ing. The following from a. daily paper of that
date explains:
Mr. Joseph G. Brown and Miss Alice Burkhead, of
this city, were married at Edenton Street Methodist
Church yesterday morning in the presence of a large
number of friends, Rev. Dr. L. S. Burkhead, father
of the bride, performing the ceremony.
Edenton Street Sunday School 17
DEDICATION OF THE CHURCH
The dedication of the church on Sunday, May
22, 1887, was a great occasion in the history of
both church and Sunday School, the following
account being given of the exercises:
On Sunday, May 22, 1887, Edenton Street Church
was dedicated by Bishop W. W. Duncan, of South
Carolina. The dedication exercises were splendidly
arranged and were impressively performed. One of
the largest audiences ever assembled in a church in
this city was present.
The services began by singing the doxology, and
more than a thousand voices in grand thanksgiving
chorus sent up their thanks and praise to Him from
whom all blessings flow.
The dedicatory hymn, written by ex-Governor W.
W. Holden, was grandly rendered by the vast congre-
gation.
Bishop Duncan preached the dedication sermon, tak-
ing his text from Jeremiah 6:16. For one hour and
fifteen minutes on a sultry day he kept the audience
of 1,200 people intensely interested, as he reviewed
Methodism from the days of Wesley and Asbury. He
alluded to the work of building the church, the
anxiety, patience, and waiting which had attended
it during six years. He also alluded to the fact that
the building was paid for, that there were no debts
hanging over the church to embarrass the joy and
thankfulness with which they could worship therein.
At the close of the sermon Judge Walter Clark, for
the trustees, presented the church, which was formally
dedicated by the Bishop. The trustees were Rev. W.
2
18 Edenton Street Sunday School
J. W. Crowder, Chairman; Joseph G. Brown, Secre-
tary; R. T. Gray, Sylvester Smith, L. W. Peck, W. J.
Young, Dr. J. W. McGee, M. A. Bledsoe, and Judge
Walter Clark.
In the afternoon at 4 o'clock a grand Sunday School
mass meeting was held, at which short and spicy
addresses were made by Bishop Duncan, Rev. E. A.
Yates, D.D., and Rev. A. W. Mangum, D.D., inter-
spersed with music by the Sabbath School.
At night Rev. John E. Edwards, D.D., of Virginia,
who was pastor of the church forty-five years before,
preached the sermon from Ephesians 2:19-22. The
services were closed with prayer by Rev. T. S. Camp-
bell, who was pastor of the church in 1856.
Several former pastors of the church attended the
dedication — Rev. John E. Edwards, D.D., Rev. T. S.
Campbell, of Lexington; Rev. A. W. Mangum, D.D.,
Rev. E. A. Yates, D.D., Rev. W. S. Black, D.D., and
Rev. R. 0. Burton.
Edenton Street Sunday School 19
PROGRESS OF THE SCHOOL
The progress of the school has been gradual
and while there has been no remarkable growth,
jet during these thirty years, since the erection
of a separate building for the school, it has
stood as a power for good in the community,
many going forth to bless those around them
and one even to foreign fields. During the
second pastorate of Rev. W. C. Norman the
school reached a larger average attendance than
it had ever had before. His zealous and intel-
ligent work among the children brought the
school to a degree of prosperity never before at-
tained. The attendance during the past few
years has grown steadily, the old building being
uncomfortably crowded many times before it
was sold and moved away to make place for the
new building.
At the opening of the Sunday School in the
old building there were 37 officers and teachers
and 355 scholars. Today the school has on its
rolls 16 officers, 2G teachers, and nearly 1,000
scholars. It would be interesting if the records
had been preserved so that the growth and his-
tory of the school could be traced from year to
year.
20 Edenton Street Sunday School
In May, 1881, following the entrance into the
new building, Rev. A. A. Boshamer made the
encouraging report to the Quarterly Confer-
ence, that has already been given, attributing
the increase in interest and attendance to the
fact that the school had just entered the new
Sunday School room.
In June, 1882, Dr. E. A. Yates, the pastor,
reported :
The Sunday School is in successful operation and
under the superintendency of Brothers W. J. Young
and D. W. Bain, assisted by an able corps of teachers,
the school is accomplishing much good. It would
be difficult to find a school better organized or kept
in better order. The infant class is a most admirable
feature of this school, and altogether there is much
promise of good to the church from this department
of her labor.
At the close of the conference year, 1882, the
school numbered 38 officers and teachers and
380 scholars. In 1883 there was a decrease in
the number, there being 37 officers and teachers
and 326 scholars.
Rev. W. C. iSTorman, pastor, made the follow-
ing report of the school at the close of the con-
ference year 1884:
Our superintendent, Bro. W. J. Young, an-1 his as-
sistant, Brother D. W. Bain, aided by a faithful corps
of officers and teachers, have served faithfully and
Edenton Street Sunday School 21
efficiently in this important work during the confer-
ence year that is now closing. We need a few more
zealous male teachers to look after the boys and young
men. With this improvement the Sunday School of
Edenton Street Church would take still higher ground
in useful work for the cause of the Master. The
school numbers 300 scholars and 39 officers and
teachers.
In 1885 there were 39 officers and teachers
and 350 scholars. There was a decided in-
crease in the enrollment of the school during
the next two years, the roll of the school for
1887 showing a total membership of 574. The
annual report of the secretary of the school, Mr.
D. S. Waitt, for 1888, showed there were eleven
officers, 24 teachers and 556 scholars enrolled.
During the next few years the school kept
steadily on in its work. There was some fall-
ing off in numbers, however, during this time,
for in 1894 the pastor, Rev. John 1ST. Cole, re-
ported the number of officers and teachers in the
school forty; the number of scholars 450. In
1895 there were 41 officers and teachers, 470
scholars. In 1896 the pastor, Rev. W. C. Nor-
man, made the following report to the third
Quarterly Conference :
There has been during the past quarter a steady
increase in the prosperity of our Sabbath School.
The school has now perhaps the largest attendance
22 Edenton Street Sunday School
in its history. The infant class room has been much
improved, having been newly carpeted and supplied
with kindergarten chairs. An intermediate class has
been organized, which promises to be of value to the
school. Number of officers and teachers, 44; number
of scholars, 560.
In 1807 there was a decrease in membership,
the number falling back to, 40 officers and teach-
ers and 490 scholars. In 1898 the superin-
tendent, Mr. W. J. Young, Sr., declining re-
election, his name was withdrawn, and at the
first Quarterly Conference, 1899, Mr. Joseph
G. Brown was elected. The school numbered
37 officers and teachers and 449 scholars in
1898. At the close of Mr. Norman's pastorate,
1899, he made the following report of the work
of the school :
Our Sunday School has for many years been a
mighty factor in building up the church. Out of its
ranks the membership has from time to time been
enlarged, and eternity alone can show the good that
has been accomplished through the constant labors
of the godly men and women who have wrought so
faithfully in this sphere of Christian work. The
school is in a flourishing and growing condition. The
average attendance is now larger than it has ever
been at any time in the history of the school. During
the year a new infant class room and a library room
have been added, so that we now have the most com-
modious and convenient Sunday School accommoda-
tions in the State. The school numbers 573 scholars,
48 officers and teachers.
Edenton Street Sunday School 23
Rev. G. F. Smith, in 1901, made the follow-
ing report of the work of the Sunday School :
The attendance at Sunday School, which is larger
than last year, has almost reached 500. There are
more than forty officers and teachers, and their at-
tendance is unusually regular. Such variety is given
the exercises that there is not a dull moment from
the opening to the close of the school. One hundred
dollars was raised during the year for the Orphanage.
One class furnished a room at the Orphanage and
many garments for children were made by different
members of the school, and one orphan is supported
by it.
In 1903 Rev. George F. Smith reported the
resignation of Mr. J. G. Brown, who had been
the very faithful and efficient superintendent
of the Sunday School. Mr. W. J. Young, Jr.,
was elected superintendent. The school was
reported to be in good condition in every way.
By the close of the conference year the mem-
bership had reached 500.
In 1904 Rev. R. F. Bumpas reported :
The Sunday School is, I believe, making some ad-
vancement in its work. The work of some Bible
classes, recently organized, is worthy of special men-
tion, as the Norman class and the Young Men's class.
The motto of the school is: "All the Church in the
Sunday School and All the Sunday School in the
Church." Number of officers and teachers reported,
40; scholars enrolled during the year, 750.
24 Edenton Street Sunday School
In 1906 Rev. E. F. Bumpas mentions the
fact in his report that "the Sunday School,
which is one of the best in North Carolina, has
outgrown its quarters and has on foot a project
for erecting a new Sunday School building."
The number of officers and teachers for the
year was 39, number of scholars 750. In 1908
there were enrolled forty-three officers and
teachers and 690 scholars. In 1909 the num-
ber reached 45 officers and teachers and 700
scholars. In 1910 there was a slight increase
in membership, 44 officers and teachers and 756
scholars.
Owing to the inconvenience of meeting in
the church and the more or less disorganized
state of the school there has been no decided in-
crease in the enrollment during the past year.
Joseph G. Bkown, Superintendent
Edenton Street Sunday School 25
SPECIAL OCCASIONS
This school has always been a faithful ob-
server of special occasions and festivals days.
Easter, Children's Day, the Fall Kally or Har-
vest Festival, Thanksgiving, and Christmas,
are annually observed with interesting exer-
cises. The programs of music and readings, in
which the little folks always have their own
share, make these occasions memorable ones.
The social side of life is not neglected either,
for with the return of the Agricultural and
Mechanical College boys and other students to
the city the fall work begins with the aA. & M.
Reception," as it is commonly called. For
many years these have been happy events, to be
looked forward to with pleasure especially by
the young people in the school.
The Sunday afternoon "singing" used to be
a time of special enjoyment in the old school,
many of the records bearing notes of the^e
gatherings, which were notable and pleasant fea-
tures, the room oftentimes being filled. The
older members of the school today look back to
those times with deepest pleasure.
There is nothing, however, connected with the
social times of the school that brings quite the
thrill of pleasure that the first announcement
26 E dent on Street Sunday School
of the Sunday School picnic does. The first
warm spring Sunday brings the thought of it,
and usually some time in May the lunch baskets
are packed, a train is chartered and the school
hies away to some pleasant picnic grounds where
a day is spent in the open.
As pleasant as are the picnics of the present
it is doubtful if they contain any more of real
enjoyment than did those Union picnics of by-
gone times, when on the Fourth of July, Eden-
ton Street Sunday School and the other Sun-
day Schools of the city gathered in the Capitol
Square to enjoy a feast together.
Mr. Bain gives the following interesting ac-
count of one of these occasions :
What cherished reminiscences are associated with
those patriotic and festive scenes. We recall the
marshaling of the forces in Union Square, as each
school advanced to its place in line, with a waving
standard in its front bearing an inscription of loyalty
to the Prince of Peace; then the line of march, as the
column moved along the streets amidst an admiring
throng, like veterans ready for the conflict and eager
to rout an army or take a citadel ; then the services in
the Presbyterian Church where, under the inspiring
utterances of the speaker, the hearts of the lathers
were set aglow with patriotic fervor, as the children
whiled away the moments in pleasing anticipation of
the scenes yet to be enacted; and then the mingling
Edenton Street Sunday School 27
of happy hearts at the respective festal boards. Could
we who were participants in those most cherished of
youthful pleasures live them over again we could
wish to be
"Though the years onward are stealing,
Ever a child."
28 Edenton Street Sunday School
THE PASTORS
No history of Edenton Street Sunday School
would be complete without a word of tribute to
the work of the pastors who have served the
church and Sunday School during all the years
of her glorious history. All of them left the
stamp of their work on the Sunday School, la-
boring in this department of the church as
much as they had opportunity.
The name of Rev. Bennett T. Blake should
always be held in grateful remembrance by
Edenton Street Sunday School as its founder
and father. No other work during his ministry
so entitles him to remembrance as this act of
his, in 1827, of separating the Methodist Sun-
day School from the Union Sunday School.
Mr. Donald Bain's historical sketch of the
school preserves a list of those who followed
Mr. Blake up until 1881, the time when his
sketch was written. The complete list appears
elsewhere in this sketch.
During the 30 years since that time the Sun-
day School has been greatly blessed in the work
of her pastors. All have labored untiringly
for her interests, striving at all points to influ-
ence and win for the Master the young life
Edenton Street Sunday School 29
of the church. Their names are familiar and
most of them are remembered with pleasure by
the adult members of the school today. Three
of them have finished their work here, Dr. E.
A. Yates, Eev. J. H. Cordon, and Rev. W. C.
Norman.
REV. W. C. NORMAN
Eev. W. C. Norman seemed especially to be-
long to Edenton Street church. Twice he
served as pastor, from 1884 to 1888, and again
from 1896 to 1900. During these terms as
pastor he so closely identified himself with all
branches of work of the church that he made
for himself a large place in the hearts of the
people. A little more than two years after
the close of his pastorate at Edenton Street
church, in 1902, he was called home to his
Father. From the walls of the school his
kindly, genial face has smiled down upon the
people he loved and one of the organized classes,
the class that he taught, has been named the
Norman Class.
Quoting from the resolutions presented at
the Quarterly Conference at the close of his
pastorate in 1899 :
Under his wise leadership the church was built up
and all its interests advanced. His zealous and in-
30 E dent on Street Sunday School
telligent work among the children has brought the
Sunday School to a degree of prosperity never before
attained, and his watchful interest in all the organi-
zations has maintained their efficiency and usefulness.
The gracious influence of his godly life will always
linger with us. Like Christ, whom he loved and
served, he went about doing good.
The others in their own way left their im-
press upon the school, which remembers their
labors with grateful appreciation and rejoices
that they still labor among us in the bounds of
the conference, still keeping in touch with the
school and feeling an interest in its prosperity.
REV. H. M. NORTH
From the time that Rev. Harry M. North
came to Edenton Street Church as its pastor,
he became closely identified with every depart-
ment of the church's work to the end that every
organization has been quickened and awakened
to greater efforts. Back of them has been the
ready sympathy and encouragement of the pas-
tor. He has won the confidence and respect of
the young folk and to the old people and the
shut-ins his many little acts of kindness and
remembrance have brought gladness and cheer.
No department of the church has benefited
more from Mr. North's ministry than the Sun-
day School. He came when plans for the erec-
Edenton Street Sunday School 31
tion of a new building were occupying the at-
tention of the whole church. He took up the
work with ready zeal and has striven in every
way to advance it. A great part of the burden
of it has fallen upon his shoulders, and he
has not failed the school in the least detail.
The greatest passion of our present pastor is
the salvation of souls, but he has been equally
faithful in the more arduous features. His
practical plans have aided largely in raising
the money necessary to carry on the building.
It can truly be said that no pastor has worked
more untiringly for the interests of the Sunday
School. As teacher of the Gorman Class he has
been actively at work. Last fall, recognizing
the need for trained teachers, he organized his
teacher-training class of forty or more, meeting
with them every Friday night. They will soon
be ready, through his teaching, for larger and
better service in the Sunday School as trained
and efficient workers.
The latest work Mr. North has undertaken is
the organization of the boys of the Sunday
School into two leagues. The object is to train
them for future service to the church, Sunday
School and Epworth League. For some time
there has been no organization of the boys of
32 Edenton Street Sunday School
the Sunday School. In thus meeting this long
felt need Mr. North is rendering one of the
greatest services possible to the church. His
heart is very much in the undertaking and the
boys have responded gladly and willingly to his
call.
Our people rejoice that Mr. North is
still with us to see the fulfillment of his labors
and to join with the school in a song of thanks-
giving on this glad day. The Sunday School
at Edenton Street belongs to him, and he be-
longs to the school in a peculiar way, for they
are bound to each other by the closest ties, and
as the years bring to the school the ripened
fruits of his labors, these ties will be strength-
ened.
Edenton Street Sunday School 33
WORKERS, PAST AND PRESENT
JOSEPH G. BROWN
This is in reality a jubilee occasion for our
superintendent, Mr. Joseph G. Brown, for just
fifty years ago in April he became a member of
Edenton Street Sunday School. One might
doubt the fact, had he not so proudly proclaimed
it, for he seems to have discovered the fountain
of eternal youth. Just a little fellow, so small
that he had to be lifted to his seat on the bench,
he first began his Sunday School life at Central
Church, then known as Person Street church.
His first teacher, after becoming a member of
Edenton Street Sunday School, just fifty years
ago, was Miss Sallie Smith. A little picture
card was her reward for a good lesson, and
those which he received from her hands are
among the things which he likes to remember.
His teacher has gone to her Master, but her
work is not yet done, for her pupil is still bless-
ing the Sunday School and church with the
seed which she sowed.
Mr. Brown became identified with the work
of the Sunday School as pupil, teacher, secre-
tary, assistant superintendent, and superintend-
3
34 Edenton Street Sunday School
ent. He lias been ready and willing to fill any
position that would be for the advancement of
the work of the school. As a teacher he filled
that position as few others can. Among the
adult members of the church today are some of
the women, who were among the original six
girls who, graduating from the primary depart-
ment, formed his first class. From these few
the number grew to about fifty young ladies,
some of the six remaining there until they were
married and left the Sunday School. It was a
class in which all loved to be present, the les-
son under Mr. Brown being a time of pleasure
and profit.
Secretary of the school, and twice assistant
superintendent, Mr. Brown brought to those
positions the same faithfulness and capability
that characterized him as a teacher, but it is as
superintendent that he has been the greatest
force in the school. In 1898, Mr. W. J. Young,
Sr., declining a nomination for this of-
fice, Mr. Brown was elected to succeed him.
At the beginning of the year 1903, af-
ter serving as superintendent four years, Mr.
Brown resigned to take up the work of
teacher again. Mr. W. J. Young, Jr., suc-
ceeded him, serving faithfully and efficiently
PASTORS
1. Rev. Sidney D. Bumpas, 1842-1843
2. Rev. Thomas S. Campbell, 1846
;i. Rev. Robert O. Burton, 1847-1848
4. Rev. Rufus T. Heflin, 1849-1850
5. Rev. Peter Doub, 1851-1852
Edenton Street Sunday School 35
for two years. In 1905 Mr. Brown again
assumed the leadership of the school. Today
under his direction and guiding hand the school
has come to the gladdest day in its history, and
looks forward to a golden future, with Mr.
Brown still at the helm.
As president of a bank, a man of affairs, and
a public spirited citizen, Mr. Brown has yet
found time to make the Sunday School a chief
interest in his life. He has traveled and ob-
served and studied the methods of the most suc-
cessful Sunday Schools in the country, and he
intends that Edenton Street shall become the
best Sunday School that it is possible to
make it.
For many years Mr. Brown had the vision
of the new home, finely furnished and equipped,
into which the school would some day come, and
none has labored harder than he for the accom-
plishment of that dream. His personality dom-
inates the school, inspiring both teachers and
pupils with his enthusiasm and life. His
ready wit, keenness of mental vision and tact
never fail to make the Sunday School hour an
enjoyable service. The school, in love and
sympathy, is ready to clasp hands with him and
push forward to greater heights.
36 Edenton Street Sunday School
WILLIAM JEFFERSON YOUNG
For more than half a century the name of
William Jefferson Young, Sr., stood at the head
of the roll of workers of Edenton Street
Church. As superintendent, teacher, or in
whatever capacity he could serve the school, he
was always found ready to advance the cause of
his Master. Early Monday morning, Febru-
ary 12, 1912, he heard the voice of Jesus say:
Come unto me and rest,
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down
Thy head upon my breast,
and sweetly and quietly as a little child he pil-
lowed his head, grown white in his Master's
vineyard, on that broad breast that had never
failed him, and went to his Father to hear his
"well done" and to enter his rest, the rest that
remaineth to the faithful. .
There is probably not a member of the school
that can remember the time when Mr. Young
was not a worker there. It is hard to think of
the Edenton Street Sunday School of the future
without him. As Rev. John ]ST. Cole fittingly
said in his beautiful tribute to him:
The woodman has come into our forest and felled
one of the finest and tallest cedars, and the entire
landscape is changed. The church will seem another
Edenton Street Sunday School 37
church without this venerable father, brother, and
friend.
Just as the school was alive and looking for-
ward with hopeful expectation to a larger field
of usefulness in the new building, Mr. Young
laid down his work and went home to his
Father. His pastor, Eev. H. M. North, lik-
ened him to Enoch, who walked with God until
he got nearer to God's house than to his own
and just went on until now he walks with God
there.
Mr. Young was born in Franklin County, in
August, 1832. For thirty years he was superin-
tendent of and teacher in the State School for
the Blind. He was actively connected with
the Sunday School and church, in May, 1866,
succeeding his brother, Mr. Samuel H. Young,
as superintendent. Under his administration
the school reached a greater height of numerical
prosperity than ever before, its rolls numbering
in 1873 nearly 400. In 1877, he retired to the
less prominent position of teacher, but was
again called to the head of the school in Octo-
ber, 1880. This position he held, sowing for a
rich harvest of future reaping, until 1898, when
he declined reelection and was succeeded by Mr.
Joseph G. Brown.
38 Edenton Street Sunday School
While retiring from the leadership of the
school, Mr. Young in no way gave up active
service, but fell back into the ranks of teachers,
accepting the least service for the school as a
pleasure. Edenton Street Church rather re-
joices in his life of service than mourns at his
death. His portrait, which will be presented to
the school by some of the members, was shown
to him before he died, so that he might know
the loving appreciation in which he was held.
The funeral service, which was held at 3
o'clock, Tuesday afternoon, February 13th, in
the church, was attended by many of the Sunday
School scholars. Rev. John 1ST. Cole, superin-
tendent of the Methodist Orphanage, a former
pastor and a devoted friend of Mr. Young, and
his pastor, Rev. H. M. North, both paid beauti-
ful tributes to his memory. Mr. Cole spoke of
his many years of labor, all filled with service
to his God. He was a man, whose course was
steady, vigorous and hopeful. One passion
dominated every other affection, his love for
Christ.
His pastor said :
As a steward he was found faithful. For half a
century within the bounds of his own church he was
characterized by faithfulness and loyalty. He ac-
cepted his work without complaint, considering it a
E dent on Street Sunday School 39
pleasure rather than a burden. The church of Christ
was large enough for all of his activity. He gave
without stint. He was an example to men by his
fidelity to citizenship, and we can not tell today what
he was worth to the church. He gave it the best he
had and set on it the seal of his manhood. No man
asked how he died because all knew he died as he
lived, "a man of God." If his heart could be disclosed
you would find in it the name of the church he loved.
Servant of God, well done!
Thy glorious warfare past;
The battle's fought, the race is won,
And thou art crowned at last;
Of all thy heart's desire
Triumphantly possessed ;
Lodged by the ministerial choir
In thy Redeemer's breast.
0 happy, happy soul!
In ecstacies of praise,
Long as eternal ages roll,
Thou seest thy Saviour's face.
Redeemed from earth and pain,
Ah! when shall we ascend,
And all in Jesus' presence reign
With our translated friend?
MRS. W. J. YOUNG
In Miss Sarah Ellen Cook, of Chelsea, Ver-
mont, whom Mr. Young married in 1861, he
found a worthy helpmeet and a great inspira-
tion to him in his Christian life. They were
evenly yoked together, for she was always active
in the work of the church. As teacher, leader
40 Edenton Street Sunday School
of the singing and organist, her life was full of
service. Perhaps as superintendent of the in-
fant class her life counted for the most, and
there are those who are carrying on the work
of the church today in whose hearts she sowed
the germ of truth. Although she finished her
work here nineteen years ago the school remem-
bers it with deep appreciation. She died Jan-
uary 27, 1893, and until the time of her last ill-
ness she continued superintendent of the infant
class.
MISS MARY PESCUD
In the foreign fields of Brazil today there is
one whose heart turns with love and rejoicing
to Edenton Street Sunday School. She no doubt
pictures in her mind the scenes being enacted
here today and prays God's blessing on her old
school, the one from which she went forth to
take the message of salvation to the men and
women in Brazil. Although Miss Mary Pes-
cud is present, only in spirit, today the school
does not forget its absent member, who is doing
a glorious work teaching in a school for girls
at Petropolis, Brazil, and bringing the light of
salvation to many who are in darkness.
For many years Miss Mary Pescud was a
faithful teacher in the Sundav Scliool, having
Edenton Street Sunday School 41
charge of a class of young ladies, from which
has grown the Philathea Class. From a girl
her heart was in the missionary work, her one
aim being to go to those who knew not Jesus
Christ. After a year spent in the Scarritt Bible
and Training School, in Kansas City, she sailed
in September, 1898, to take up her work in
Brazil. After four years there she returned
home, a year sooner than she expected to, on ac-
count of her health. A rest of two years sent
her back to her work strengthened and re-
freshed. Her period of five years passed
swiftly, sending her home again for a year's
vacation. She came so well and happy and full
of zeal for her work that it was a privilege to
have her in the Sunday School. It has been
two years since she returned again to Brazil.
Her friends frequently have good reports of her
work there. At the expiration of her five years
she will return again for a year. The mem-
bers of the school look forward with pleasure
to that time.
MRS. MINNIE MOSELEY
Many in the school today do not personally
remember Mrs. Minnie Wilkinson Moseley,
who more than eighteen years ago was one of
the most active and helpful members of the
42 Edenton Street Sunday School
school. As a teacher of a class of girls and in
every department of church work, she was a
most efficient helper. She died June 29, 1894.
Her picture, presented to the school shortly af-
ter her death by her husband, Mr. T. B. Mose-
ley, has recalled during these years the story
of her work.
MRS. LAURA BOBBITT
One of the most enthusiastic workers the
school has ever had was Mrs. Laura F. Bobbitt.
Her activities were not confined to any one de-
partment of the work of the school or church,
but her influence and active service touched it
at all points. Her charming personality domi-
nated every social gathering, affecting all with
the happiness of her nature. Her beautiful
voice was devoted to the work of the Master,
and many a service at Edenton Street has been
enriched by her songs. The granddaughter of
Rev. Bennett T. Blake, the founder of the
school, her heart was naturally in all that con-
cerned the welfare of the school. Mrs. Bob-
bitt is now living at Indianapolis, Indiana.
Her active connection with the school was sev-
ered a number of years ago, but it is pleasant to
think of her as always at heart a member of
Edenton Street Sunday School.
PASTORS
1. Rev. William E. Pell, 1853-1854
2. Rev. Joseph H. Wheeler, 1857
3. Rev. L. L. Hendren, 1858-1859
4. Rev. H. T. Hudson, 1866-1869
5. Rev. A. W. Manqum, 1872-1875
Edenton Street Sunday School 43
"ONLY REMEMBERED"
Many of us had a very tender love for the
old Sunday School building, not only for what
it has stood for in our lives, but for the friend-
ships formed there with men and women who
are not here today. Closely associated with
it are the forms and faces of many we knew
and loved. Some of them dropped seeds into
our lives that found the fertile spots, some we
remember only for their smile and words of
greeting. Some we learned to look for always
at their post on Sunday morning. Some of
them were with us only for a day, passing on
to other fields of labor. Some, when we knew
them, were finishing up a long life of service
and they have gone to their Father's home
above.
From the very foundations of the new build-
ing the old school comes back to claim a share
of the present. May the memory of the old
gray building, with its days of struggle and
its days of rejoicing, and the faces of the past
grow brighter as the years bring us greater
prosperity. Many who rejoice in this day of
enlargement will hold the old house ever in fond
remembrance.
44 Edenton Street Sunday School
Without the records of the school for the past
thirty years it is impossible to give a list of
those whom we would remember, and lest some
be forgotten I have refrained from mentioning
any. They faithfully performed their work
in their day and passed on to have their places
filled by other laborers. Time has erased the
names and faces of many of them from earthly
remembrance, but what does it matter since the
Master of all remembers and rewards ?
Like a half forgotten strain, an echo from
the past, come the words of an old song, sung
by one whose beautiful voice often brought
pleasure and blessing to the school :
Fading away like the stars of the morning,
Losing their light in the glorious sun —
Thus would we pass from the earth and its toiling,
Only remembered by what we have done.
Shall we be missed, tho by others succeeded;
Reaping the fields we in springtime have sown?
No, for the sowers may pass from their labors,
Only remembered by what they have done.
Only the truth that in life we have spoken,
Only the seed that on earth we have sown;
These shall pass onward when we are forgotten,
Fruits of the harvest and what we have done.
Edenton Street Sunday School 45
Oh, when the Saviour shall make up his jewels,
"When the bright crowns of rejoicing are won,
Then shall His weary and faithful disciples
All be remembered by what they have done.
Only remembered, only remembered,
Only remembered by what we have done;
Thus would we pass from the earth and its toiling,
Only remembered by what we have done.
46 Edenton Street Sunday School
THE "INFANT" CLASS
The greatest asset of Edenton Street Church
has been the young people, not only the mem-
bers of the Sunday School but the little folks
of the primary department. The "infant" class
has been from the beginning the very founda-
tion of the church. From its ranks, trained
from very childhood to Christian work, have
come up the men and women, leaders in the
work of the church today.
In 1878, Mr. Bain tells us in his history, the
superintendent, Mr. W. J. Young, Sr., "moved
by a sense of duty to the children, and realizing
the necessity for enlarged facilities for their
comfort and instruction, appointed, with the
approval of the school, a committee to procure
a plan for a room for their use." After ma-
ture deliberation the committee submitted the
plan for the Sunday School building instead,
which was sanctioned by the school. Thus it
was the need of the children in the primary
department that finally brought about the erec-
tion of the Sunday School building. An infant
class room was a part of the building, being
separated from the main school by sliding
doors. It was fitted with raised circular seats.
E dent 071 Street Sunday School 47
In 1882 Dr. A. E. Yates said:
The infant class is a most admirable feature of the
school, and altogether there is much premise of good
to the church from this department of her labor. The
teaching and singing of the truth in this department,
as well as in the entire school, can not be otherwise
than religiously profitable to the children. The infant
class room has been enlarged and beautified and made
attractive to the children.
In 1896 the primary class room was much
improved being newly carpeted and supplied
with kindergarten chairs. In that same year
an intermediate department was organized,
which has been of great value to the school.
The growth of the primary and intermediate
departments soon necessitated an enlargement
of the Sunday School building and in 1899,
the last year of the pastorate of Kev. W. C.
Xorman, a new infant class room and a library
room were built, making the school at that time
the most comfortable and convenient in the con-
ference. The room that had been used by the
primary class was divided into classrooms, one
part of it being used by the intermediate de-
partment and the other section for the young
men's class from the Agricultural and Mechan-
ical College.
48 Edenion Street Sunday School
When the Sunday School building was sold
and moved away the section which had been
added for the primary class and library was
moved back of the church and continued to be
used by the primary department until the new
building was nearing completion.
The importance of wise and efficient training
of the children cannot be overestimated. This
has long been one of the strongest features of
the school, which has been indeed fortunate in
the superintendents of the primary depart-
ment.
For years the primary class was under the
direction of Mrs. W. J. Young, Sr., who gave
her best efforts to the work of teaching and
training the children, leading them both in the
study of lessons and in songs of praise. She
was assisted at various times by different mem-
bers of the school. The last year of her service
before her death in 1893, she was efficiently as-
sisted by Miss Mattie Keese, Miss Mary Mills
and Miss Emma McGee, all of whom later re-
turned to the main school, either to teach or to
enter classes.
After Mrs. Young's death the primary class
was for a while in charge of Mr. Jim Brown
and Miss Addie Goodwyn. In 1895, at the ear-
E dent on Street Sunday School 49
nest insistence of Eev. J. 1ST. Cole, the pastor,
Miss Mattie Reese consented to become super-
intendent of the "infant" class. This was one
of the last services Mr. Cole rendered Edenton
Street church before his term as its pastor ex-
pired, and it is a service in which both he and
the Sunday School rejoice today. In Miss
Mattie Eeese Mr. Cole saw a leader who was
capable of making of the infant class a great
and mighty factor in the church. Accepting
the duty in the spirit of the Master, she threw
her whole soul into the work, becoming each
year more proficient until today the Sunday
School points with pride to its primary class.
When Miss Reese took charge of it as its
superintendent there were fifty children on
the. roll. Today there are 275. Mrs. Fab. P.
Brown and Miss Bessie Brown were her first
assistants, Miss Bessie Brown later taking
charge of the intermediate department. Mrs.
Fab. Brown has continued her work in the
class, the other assistants being Miss Ruth
Hughes, Miss Ethel Wynne, and Miss Bessie
Brown (Mr. Joe Brown's daughter).
It was the increase in membership that soon
resulted after Miss Reese became superintend-
ent, that necessitated the enlargement, the pri-
4
50 Edenton Street Sunday School
niary class first starting the movement for a new
room and contributing the first $50. Through
their efforts money was raised to buy the car-
pet, piano, pictures, etc.
Both superintendent and assistants have
looked forward with pleasure to the splendid
new quarters and increased facilities offered in
the new Sunday School building. For months
they have been planning for the opening and
preparing to entering a greater field of endeavor
than ever before. The primary room is fitted
with every convenience and device to further
its work and interest the children in the teach-
ing of God's word. Graded classes will greatly
simplify the work. While this has been car-
ried out as far as possible before, the crowded
quarters have made it almost impossible.
When a child graduates from the primary
class into the intermediate, it is well grounded
in the fundamental truths of the Bible and of
the beliefs and doctrines of the Methodist-
Church. It is safe to say that many of the
grown people of the Sunday School and church
are not nearly so well informed as these young
people are who complete the course of the Pri-
mary department. In the simplified doctrines
of the Methodist Church, which Miss Reese af-
iw *■*
PASTORS
Rev. L. S. Burkhead, 1875-1877
Rev. William S. Black, 1878-1880
Rev. F. L. Reid,* 1881
Rev. E. A. Yates, 1882-1883
Rev. W. C. Norman,! 1884-1887
*Filled the pulpit to the close of the year, succeeding
who died during; his pastorate.
fServed a second four years, 1896-1890.
Rev. A. A. Boshamer,
Edenton Street Sunday School 51
ter long months of hard work and earnest
study completed and had published for the use
of her classes, she did a service whch extended
even beyond the bounds of Edenton Street
Church, the set of 25 doctrines as simplified by
her, being used by primary classes in other
Sunday Schools. The Sunday School has the
deepest appreciation for her splendid work and
that of her faithful assistants.
It is always one of the pleasant features of
the Sunday School hour when the little folks,
holding aloft their banner, and with faces and
eyes aglow with happiness, march through the
main school. On such occasions the superin-
tendent never fails to point with pride to them
as the future leaders of the church. And what
a large company of leaders they are !
THE CRADLE ROLL
Edenton Street Sunday School is ready to
enroll as members the children even from the
day of their birth. The cradle roll department
has for many years been a part of the primary
work. The little folks are presented with a di-
ploma and on each birthday the date is remem-
bered by a birthday card. The age limit is
three years, when they are advanced to the
52 Edenton Street Sunday School
primary department. On special days at the
Sunday School, Harvest Day, Chldren's Day,
Christmas, etc., the cradle roll members, in
their nurses' arms, make an interesting part of
the primary procession.
In memory of his little girl, Mary Elizabeth
Young, who died November 28, 1911, Mr.
Henry J. Young presented to the primary de-
partment a handsome cradle roll birthday chair,
and a picture of Jesus and the children, to
hang above it.
INTERMEDIATE DEPARTMENT
A very important part of the Sunday School
is the intermediate department, a stepping
stone as it were from the primary department
to the larger body of the main school. The
children in this class are just at the formative
period, the age when the deepest impressions
are made. To hold these children during this
time, to see that no seed sown in the young
lives in the primary department is lost, but
that it should blossom and bear fruit for the
larger school, is the work of the intermediate
teacher.
Most successfully has Miss Bessie Brown
performed this work. With untiring zeal, pa-
Edenton Street Sunday School 53
tience and loyalty, she has labored in this de-
partment of the school's work. Yet to make
the intermediate department what it should be,
to make it count for the most good, those who
have given the subject the most study, declare
there should be a four-year course. With the
school in its new home this department will no
doubt be enlarged so as to embrace such a
course.
The intermediate department was first organ-
ized under the pastorate of Rev. W. C. Nor-
man, in 1896, Mrs. Clee Lee having charge of
it for some time, being later succeeded by Miss
ISTarcissa Hutchings and Miss Minnie Redford.
In 1905, the intermediate department had
about disbanded, when, in May, Miss Brown
became superintendent of it, receiving from the
primary department a class of ten children.
She was equal to the task of building up the de-
partment again, and since that time she has
made of it, what it should be, one of the most
important branches of the Sunday School.
There are at present 32 members enrolled.
54 Edenton Street Sunday School
SUNDAY SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
THE HOME DEPARTMENT
A branch of the Sunday School which is do-
ing untold good, unknown and unobserved by
the great body of the school, is the home de-
partment. The coining of the monthly maga-
zine, or the quarterly, is looked forward to with
much pleasure by many who are shut in, un-
able to attend Sunday School. In their homes
the lessons are studied. Thus there is a bond
of union and a thread of sympathy between the
the home department and the main body of the
Sunday School.
There was a home department a number of
years ago in connection with the school while
Mr. J. R. Johnson was connected with the
school. He served as superintendent of the de-
partment, and with a number of efficient help-
ers did good work. After he left the city, to
return to his former home, this department of
the Sunday School's work died out. It was
successfully revived in the fall of 1907, when at
a meeting at the home of Mr. J. G. Brown, the
department was newly organized. Mr. W. J.
Young, Sr., was made superintendent. He
Edenton Street Sunday School 55
was assisted by Miss Janie Brown, Miss
Josephine Brown (now Mrs. J. K. Doughton)
and Mrs. N". G. Whitfield. These ladies served
most faithfully until circumstances compelled
the last two to give up the work. Miss Janie
Brown, together with Mr. Young kept up a
department of 107 members. Mr. Young's fail-
ing health compelled him to give up active
work, and shortly before he died he spoke of
his intention of asking to have some one ap-
pointed to fill his place. At a meeting of teach-
ers, Sunday afternoon, February 18th, of this
year, Dr. Albert Anderson, an assistant super-
intendent, was appointed to take charge of the
work of the home department. An increase of
interest is already being shown. The pastor
has within the last few weeks added a number
of members at Method. There is now a large
class enrolled.
The great burden of carrying on this work
for the past several years has fallen largely on
Miss Janie Brown. But to her it has been no
burden, for nowhere does she find greater pleas-
ure than in working for Edenton Street church
and Sunday School — working in the byways
and untrodden places, helping when she can to
drop a seed of kindness or shed a ray of light
56 Edenton Street Sunday School
into some darkened home and life. No won-
der that the members of the home department
look forward to the coming of their lesson
paper, when with it comes Miss Janie, who al-
ways leaves a brighter home for her visit to it.
What her service has meant to the school it
would be hard to say, for so quietly has she
gone about her work that few know how often
her helping hand has been extended.
Thirty years ago Mr. Bain wrote in his his-
tory:
The record of attendance notes the long connection
with the school, beginning with childhood, of Misses
Fannie H. Smith, Sallie S. Smith, Mary Anna Hill,
Blanche Fentress, and Janie L. Brown.
What shall I say of them? Through all the history
of our Sunday School, ever since the beginning of
their membership, they have been more faithful in
their beautiful service than were the vestal virgins
to the sacred flame they guarded. But pure and
heavenly were the fires that they have tended in their
loving vigils — fires that have brightened, now
brighten, and will brighten, many a pathway in life —
fires that will mingle at last and forever with the
glory that illumines the home of the blest.
How well he expressed it ! If he were living
today he would realize the full truth of the vis-
ion he had, for through thirty years the fire
of Miss Janie's loving service has shed a great
glory over countless pathways. Time has no
Edenton Street Sunday School 57
effect on her, and she will always be numbered
among the young people of the Sunday School,
who love her and claim her as one of them-
selves.
TEACHER TRAINING CLASSES
With a growing Sunday School has come the
need of trained and efficient teachers. At dif-
ferent times efforts have been made to enlist
the teachers in special study classes. A Quar-
terly Conference record of 1902 bears note of
the fact that the "superintendent has organized
a teachers' study circle, with 23 members, to in-
crease the practical efficiency of the teachers."
Only one member of the circle completed the
circuit. Mr. T. B. Eldridge was active in this
work ; at various times trying to interest the
teachers in taking it up. In the meantime he
studied the courses prescribed by the Sunday
School Board of the General Conference, tak-
ing the "full diploma," and later, the "ad-
vanced diploma."
The past year, 1911, has been most success-
ful in the organization of two teacher training
classes. Mr. Eldridge first organized a class
of ten, which he taught every Sunday morning
during the Sunday School hour. Eive of these
completed the course and on Sunday morning.
58 Edenton Street Sunday School
February 11, 1912, received their diplomas
from the superintendent. They were Mrs.
W. E. Stinson, Mrs. I. H. Paris, Mrs. L. W.
Lancaster, Miss Gulia Faison and Mr. T. B.
Stancel. As this was the first occasion of the
kind in the history of the Sunday School, it
was a notable one, and words of commendation
and congratulation were offered by both the
pastor and superintendent. Mr. North, in be-
half of the class, presented their teacher with
a handsome umbrella as a token of their appre-
ciation. Mr. Eldridge has already started an-
other promising class of seven members.
The pastor last fall organized a teacher
training class of about forty, which meets every
Friday evening. They have been doing good
work and the pastor is justly proud of his class.
They have just completed the first half of the
book, Dr. Hamill's "Legion of Honor," and
have started on the second half. It means
much for the future of the school to have so
many trained workers in the ranks. It is now
recognized that teacher-training is a regular and
permanent feature of the work of our school.
Edenton Street Sunday School 59
ORGANIZED CLASSES
About 1904 and 1905 the organized class
movement began to take hold of the school,
gaining popular favor until within two or three
years three classes were organized, the jSTorman
Class, the Baraca Class and the Philathea
Class. Mr. T. B. Eldridge was active in the
organization of all three of these classes, and
was the first teacher, respectively, of the Gor-
man Class and the Baraca Class.
Following the organization of these, about
three or four years ago, Mrs. E. W. Hightow-
er's class of girls was organized into the Berean
Class.
During nine months of the year one of the
largest classes in the Sunday School is a class
of A. & M. College students, taught by Mr.
Josephus Daniels.
On Sunday, February 25, 1912, the Loyal,
the youngest organized class came into exist-
ence, a class for boys under the direction of
Mr. E. M. Hall.
While these are the only large organized
classes, many of the individual classes have
some form of organization and elect their offi-
cers.
60 Edenton Street Sunday School
THE NORMAN CLASS
The class of the older men of the Sunday
School, taught by Rev. W. C. Norman during
his second pastorate, was called the Bible class,
or Mr. Norman's class. At the end of Mr.
Norman's term, Mr. J. R. Johnson became
teacher, the class then being called by his name.
When Mr. Johnson went to Canada to make
his home, Mr. T. B. Eldridge was elected
teacher of the class. About this time the adult
class movement was setting in, and at the sug-
gestion of the teacher, the class on July 3,
1904, adopted a form of organization, choosing
as their name, one which met the approval of
all — "The Norman Class." Mr. Norman had
only shortly before that been called to his Heav-
enly home, and it was a beautiful tribute to pay
to his memory.
The first officers elected were : President,
Miles O. Sherrill; Vice-President, C. W.
Thornburg; Secretary, Vitruvius Royster; As-
sistant Secretary, Ivan M. Procter; Treasurer,
A. H. Green; Teacher, T. B. Eldridge.
In 1905 Mr. T. B. Eldridge resigned as
teacher, having been called away from the city
for the time being, and was succeeded by Mr.
Z. V. Judd. Mr. Judd continued teacher of
1.
Rev
2.
Rev
3.
Rev
4.
Rev
5.
Rev
PASTORS
J. T. Gibds, 1888-1889
J. II . Cordon, 1890-1891
John N. Cole, 1892-1895
G. F. Smith, 1900-1903
R. F. Bumpas, 1904-1907
Edenton Street Sunday School 61
the class until Rev. H. M. North became pas-
tor of the church in 1910. On the voluntary
retirement of Mr. Jucld as teacher, Mr. North
accepted the position, which he has most faith-
fully filled since that time.
Mr. Vitruvius Royster has been secretary of
the class since its organization, a motion being
made at the last election of officers to make him
secretary for life.
The present officers of the class are: Presi-
dent, W. G. Womble; Vice-President, E. W.
Hightower ; Secretary, Vitruvius Royster ; As-
sistant Secretary, C. W. White ; Treasurer, J.
F. Stanback; Teacher, Rev. H. M. North; As-
sistant Teachers, Prof. Z. V. Judd and T. H.
Calvert.
BARACA CLASS
The Baraca Class had its beginning before
it was known by its present name. At a time
when there was no distinctively young men's
class except the A. & M. College class, in our
Sunday School, Mr. Herbert Sink began an
agitation for a class of young men composed of
home-folks. He failed to get the necessary
support and the project went to sleep. It woke
up suddenly when Dr. C. O. Abernethy spoke
on the subject in church conference, and in a
62 Edenton Street Sunday School
surprisingly short time thereafter the class was
organized, April 23, 1905, with eighteen young
men under the leadership of Prof. EL H. Hume
as teacher. The first president of the class was
Dr. C. O. Abernethy and the secretary was H.
D. Arnold.
The class might have been named "Baraca"
from the first, but there was objection; so an-
other name had to be chosen. After much
searching of the Bible dictionary the name
"Helon" was selected, because it signified
strength, which was supposed to be a proper
sentiment for a class of young men.
By and by Prof. Hume removed to Florida
and Mr. T. B. Eldridge, having returned to
Raleigh, was elected teacher. The new teacher
felt the pulse of the class and found it weak ;
he tested the temperature and found it below
normal. He inquired the cause and found
there was no enthusiasm for the name or organ-
ization, and that there was an impression
among the leaders that the thing would go if it
were named Baraca. By this time the former
opposition to the name had abated. The mat-
ter was taken up in a general meeting of the
class, the name was changed and everybody was
happy. The date of this change was October
Edenton Street Sunday School 63
14, 1906. There has never been any reason to
regret the change. The class has been a strong
organization ever since it adopted the Baraca
name.
On April 9, 1909, Mr. Eldridge resigned as
teacher and was succeeded by Prof. J. A. Biv-
ins, who is still teacher. Prof. H. E. Satter-
field is assistant teacher.
The present officers are : S. H. Farabee,
President; R. F. Munns, Secretary; G. C.
Knight, Treasurer; and L. E. Nichols, Press
Reporter.
PHILATHEA CLASS
Following the organization of the Norman
Class and the Baraca Class, the need of an or-
ganized class for women was felt. There was
already in the school a large class of young
women, doing splendid work. This clsss had
been known as the Mary Pescud Class. Miss
Pescud having given up her class to go to Bra-
zil to take up her work as a foreign missionary,
she was succeeded in turn as teacher by Mr. Jo-
seph G. Brown, who resigned to become super-
intendent; Miss Jessie Jones, now Mrs. E. W.
Ledbetter, of Anniston, Fla. ; Miss Maude Mer-
rimon, now Mrs. Jesse L. Cuninggim, of
Nashville, Tenn., who resigned to go to Flor-
64 Edenton Street Sunday School
ida to teach. After the resignation of Miss
Merrimon Dr. Albert Anderson, in October,
1907, was appointed teacher of the class. In
January, 1908, in order to do more effective
work, the class was organized into a Philathea
Class.
The first class officers were: President, Mrs.
J. S. Gray ; First Vice-President, Miss Janie
Brown ; Teacher, Dr. Albert Anderson ; Assist-
ant Teacher, Mrs. R. B. John ; Secretary-
Treasurer, Miss Mamie Young; Assistant Sec-
retary-Treasurer, Miss Bessie Guthrie.
The class today numbers 34, with an average
attendance of 18.
They have done splendid work during their
four years of organization. One hundred
and twenty-five dollars has been paid on the
new Sunday School building, twenty-five dol-
lars to the Philathea Union, and about forty
dollars for stationery for the class, flowers for
the sick, etc. The work of the class cannot be
estimated in dollars and cents, for it has been
in the visits to the sick, the cheering bouquets,
the welcoming hand to the stranger and the
smile and word of help and love that the class
has counted most.
Edenton Street Sunday School 65
The lesson hour is a time of pleasure and
profit, for in Dr. Anderson they have a model
teacher. It has been said that the class is what
the teacher makes it. It is certainly true that
the Philathea Class owes a great deal to the in-
spiration and help of their teacher.
The present officers of the class are : Teacher,
Dr. Albert Anderson; Assistant Teacher, Miss
Sallie Reese; President, Miss Lina Stephen-
son; First Vice-President, Miss Sallie Reese;
Second Vice-President, Mrs. S. P. ISTorris; Sec-
retary, Miss Mamie Young; Assistant Secre-
tary, Miss Hannah Price ; Treasurer, Miss Vir-
ginia Eldridge.
BEREAN CLASS
Mrs. E. W. Hightower's class of girls was
about three or four years ago organized into
the Berean Class, the meaning of which is
"search the Scriptures daily." As this is what
Mrs. Hightower's girls do, the name is pecul-
iarly fitting. This is one of the largest classes
in the school, having on the roll 39 members.
There is a charm about this class, the secret of
which is no doubt to be found in the teacher's
personal interest in each and every one who
comes to the class, whether a member or a vis-
66 Edenton Street Sunday School
itor. And back of it all is her deep consecra-
tion and earnestness.
The present officers are President, Miss Jen-
nie Procter ; Vice-President, Miss Nellie Hill ;
Secretary-Treasurer, Mrs. W. B. Wright; As-
sistant Secretary-Treasurer, Miss Athalea May ;
Class Treasurer, Mrs. B. B. Benson ; Social
Committee, Mrs. Annie Love Wilson, Misses
Mary Evans, Hilda Bloxton and Annie Lee
Wynne; Working Committee, Misses Emily
Hall and Myrtle King, and Mrs. Hubert Tur-
ner ; Visiting Committee, The entire class.
A. AND M. CLASS
A Sunday School record of May 15, 1884,
makes note of the fact that Mr. Robert E. Lums-
den had been appointed teacher in place of
Miss Mary Conn. That class of three boys
taken by Mr. Lumsden, later grew into one of
the largest classes for young men in the school,
most of them being A. & M. College students
during the greater part of the year. Mr. Lums-
den proved to be a very efficient teacher, keep-
ing the class until it was taken, in September,
1902, by Mr. Josephus Daniels, who is still
teacher. Under Mr. Lumsden the class grew
from 3 to 66 members.
E dent on Street Sunday School 67
Today there are 82 A. & M. students en->
rolled. The membership, of course, varies, but
during the nine months the boys are here, the
A. & M. class is the largest in the school. They
add greatly to the interest and their return is
always welcomed with pleasure, while it seems
that a big part of the school is gone when vaca-
tion takes them to their homes. In Mr. Dan-
iels the school has found a teacher who can best
attract and hold the young men, who delight in
his teaching.
In September, 1911, the following class offi-
cers were elected for the school year:
President, O. W. Smith; Vice-President, J.
B. Steele; Secretary-Treasurer, W. H. Gra-
ham, Jr. ; Membership Committee, W. B. Sto-
ver, T. R. Parrish, C. M. Kephart, J. B. Ward,
and J. T. King.
THE LOYAL CLASS
On Sunday, February 25, 1912, a class of
youths was organized by Mr. E. M. Hall from
the two classes formerly taught by Miss Ida
Cheek and Mr. G. E. Iden. Herbert Taylor
was elected president of the class ; Charles P.
Eldridge, first vice-president ; and Kenneth
Merritt, secretary-treasurer. Twenty-three
68 Edenton Street Sunday School
were enrolled in the class. The young fellows
and their teacher have many plans for future
work, and it is confidently expected that the
number will soon grow so that this class will be
one of the strongest in the school.
The hustling committee is composed of Leon-
ard Thornburg, John Hall and Everett Smith.
CLASSES OF THE BLIND
For almost fifty years, since the establish-
ment of the State School for the Blind at Ra-
leigh, many of the pupils of that institution
have been regular attendants at Edenton Street
Sunday School. The fall revival of interest in
this school, after the summer dullness, may be
said to begin with their coming, when school
opens in September. During all the winter,
whenever the weather permits of their coming
out, they are regularly and promptly in their
places, setting an example in many ways to
those more fortunate. Their presence has been
a blessing to the school during all these years
and their silent influence has gone out among
many. The other members of the school would
do well to follow their example in the faithful
study of the lesson. What the Sunday School
has meant to these boys and girls who for a
Edenton Street Sunday School 69
few years have come under its influence could
hardly be told. In every revival meeting held
in the church the school is well represented
among those who come to the Master.
The teachers of these classes today are doing
more for their scholars than if they were light-
ening the blinded eyes ; they are bringing vi-
sions of eternal things, that will make bright
the hearts and lives, and in the future years
will in the New Jerusalem give them eyes to
see their King in His glory.
There are four classes, taught by Mrs. R. G.
Reid, Miss Sarah Burkhead, Miss Flora
Creech, and Mr. I. C. Blair.
OTHER CLASSES AND THEIR TEACHERS
Miss Penelope Davis' class of young ladies
is the outgrowth of the class of girls Mrs. A. H.
Green received from the infant class, May 6,
1894. The class has been fortunate in that
during all these years of its history it has had
only the two teachers, Miss Davis taking up the
work that Mrs. Green laid down at her death in
1902. Only two of the original number that
graduated from the primary department are
members of the class today, and as one of these,
I could not complete this sketch without paying
70 Edenton Street Sunday School
tribute to the faithful teaching of Mrs. Green.
Although she had the care of a large family,
she always found time to be in her place Sun-
day morning, and it was largely through her
influence that many in her class found the
Saviour. Miss Davis has proved a worthy suc-
cessor, and it is indeed a great privilege to lis-
ten to her earnest teaching of the lesson. She
has at all times shown a deep and personal in-
terest in her girls, that they appreciate very
deeply.
Mrs. I. M. Procter has one of the most inter-
esting and enthusiastic classes of girls in the
school. Mrs. Procter has been among the ranks
of the teachers for eight or nine years. During
this time she has taught several classes of girls.
Miss Narcissa Hutchings has been teaching
in the school since she was fifteen, and no more
faithful worker can be found in any depart-
ment of the work of the church. She is always
ready and willing to lend a hand in any service.
She has a class of younger girls, the fficers of
which are President, Miss Rosalie Pope ; Sec-
retary, Miss Nellie Sims Iden ; Treasurer, Miss
Bessie Pope.
Other teachers of the classes of younger girls,
are Mrs. T. C. Powell, Miss Mary Swann, Miss
PASTORS
1. Rev. F. M. Shamburger, 1908-100!)
2. Rev. W. A. Stanbury,* 1909
3. Rev. H. M. North, 1910-1913
'Appointed to succeed Rev. F. M. Shamburger, who resigned because of im-
paired health.
E dent on Street Sunday School 71
Beryl Taylor and Miss Alice Willson. While
they have not been teaching as long as the
teachers already mentioned they are among the
most faithful in the school and are doing a
great work for the young folk and for the
school.
The devotion of Mrs. Will Young's class of
boys to their teacher is beautiful to see, as is
also that of the class taught by Miss Mary
King. Both these teachers seem to have found
the key to a boy's heart and learned the secret
of winning them.
72 Edenton Street Sunday School
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS
The superintendent is assisted by a most ef-
ficient corps of officers. The assistant superin-
tendents, Captain J. T. Alderman, Mr. T. A.
Partin, and Dr. Albert Anderson, help him
very largely in his work. Mr. Partin and Cap-
tain Alderman are usually to be found at the
door with a hearty handshake and a "glad to
see you."
Just how long Mr. Phil Thiem has been
treasurer of the school it is impossible to say,
for Mr. Thiem says he does not remember him-
self, and unfortunately there is no record. He
is so much a part of the school that it would
hardly be the same without his happy face at
the treasurer's desk.
The school has just lost one of its most valu-
able officers, Mr. George D. Stephenson, its sec-
retary. Mr. Stephenson's removal to another
city is a distinct loss to the school, doubly so
since he took with him his wife who promised
to be a very valuable worker. As an evidence
of the appreciation in which he was held, the
school on Sunday, March 3, just before his de-
parture, presented him with a handsome Bible.
E dent on Street Sunday School 73
Mr. J. B. Green, who was assistant secretary,
has succeeded him, Mr. Julian White being
elected assistant secretary.
From 1875 to 1898, the school had a most
efficient librarian in Mr. E. F. Pescud. When
business called him to another city to reside for
a while in 1898, he was succeeded by Mr.
Henry J. Young. Mr. Young has continued
in charge of the library ever since and is as-
sisted by Mr. O. L. Bailey and Mr. C. C. Ba-
ker. Those who are acquainted with the stat-
ure of the assistant librarians feel that a better
combination could not be secured, for they work
together in unusual harmony. There is neither
the need of a stepladder on one hand nor a need-
less stooping on the other, while Mr. Young,
with his calm unruffled smile, hands out the
books from the middle shelves. But this is an
old joke with the superintendent, usually heard
on Sunday School election day.
Edenton Street Sunday School is fortunate
in its music, an important part of the exercises.
Mrs. Hightower and her assistant, Miss Mary
King, are both faithful and efficient pianists.
Too much cannot be said of Mr. W. B. Wright
as leader of the orchestra. There is no officer
or teacher in the school more faithful in at-
74 Edenton Street Sunday School
tendance than he. He spares no effort to give
the school good orchestral music.
There is no more faithful servant of the
church and Sunday School than John Morgan,
who for eighteen years has been the sexton, and
who feels an interest in everything that con-
cerns the life of the church.
Edenton Street Sunday School 75
THE CIRCLES
From Sunday to Sunday at Edenton Street
Church the congregation hears the announce-
ments read out of the meeting of Circle No. 1,
Circle ISTo. 2, or whatever circle it may be, of-
tentimes without giving a thought to what these
meetings mean. Thursday night, December
28, 1911, in the basement of the new Sunday
School building a general meeting of the cir-
cles was held and a report of the year's work
was made, also of the four years during which
the circles have been organized, $5,168.56 be-
ing the grand total raised.
This means not $5,168.56 raised by subscrip-
tions and solicitations, etc., but that it has been
made by the hard, untiring toil of the women
composing the membership of the circles. ISTo
undertaking has been too hard or too big, and
they have labored unceasingly in behalf of every
worthy cause.
There are six circles, the chairmen of these
being: Miss Hilda Bloxton, Mrs. J. J. Ber-
nard, Miss ISTarcissa Hutchings, Mrs. T. A.
Partin, Mrs. W. A. Wynne and Miss Sallie
Reese. The circles have not only the aim to
make monev. but to brins; about a closer social
76 Edenton Street Sunday School
spirit in the church, making it a special aim to
visit the strangers, the sick, the shut-ins, etc.
The organization was formed on the fourth
Monday in January, 1908. The movement had
been in the minds of Mrs. I. M. Procter and
some of the other ladies of the church for
months before. It had been planned and
talked and finally, at the beginning of the year,
1908, the time seemed ripe to organize. Mrs.
Procter as first vice-president of the Home Mis-
sion Society, was the moving spirit in the work
of organization, and so became the chairman of
all the circles. There were sixty ladies at this
first meeting. Mrs. C. V. Albright was made
treasurer and Miss Daisy Waitt, secretary. The
object of the organization was to do the local
work of the church.
About this time the matter of the new Sun-
day School building was being agitated and
the movement had no more enthusiastic sup-
porters than the women of the circles. They
have given willingly and unceasingly of their
time and their means. The amount of their
work can not be estimated in mere dollars and
cents.
Mrs. Procter has continued chairman of the
circles for four years, and her inspiration, un-
Edenton Street Sunday School 77
tiring energy, business ability and tact have
been the motive power that has spurred the
women on to greater efforts. She has had the
loyal support of the chairmen of the individual
circles, and working together in harmony and
union they have built up one of the greatest
organizations in the church. From sixty mem-
bers the number has grown during the four
years to more than 250.
Miss Mary King is the secretary and Miss
Bessie Brown treasurer of the general circles.
78 Edenton Street Sunday School
MOVEMENT FOR NEW SUNDAY SCHOOL
The new Sunday School had been considered
for a long time. In 1906, Rev. R. F. Bum-
pas, who was then pastor, in his report to the
Quarterly Conference, said :
The Sunday School, which is one of the best in
North Carolina, has outgrown its quarters and has
on foot a project for erecting a new Sunday School
building.
The successful movement seems to have had
birth in a banquet given by the women of the
circles to the official board Tuesday evening,
February 16, 1909. It was a very happy oc-
casion and earnest talks were made on the sub-
ject of the new Sunday School building. A
subscription was started and amounted to
$5,000. The circles at this meeting pledged
their support, and later in the year when pub-
lic pledges were called for they gave $1,000 to
the building. Another $1,000 has since been
given to the building fund, while $1,000 has
been raised for the furnishings. Besides this
total of $3,000 raised for the building and fur-
nishings, the last gift of the circles is the hand-
some Knabe Concert Grand piano for the Sun-
day School auditorium.
Edenton Street Sunday School 79
THE FAREWELL SERVICE
In the spring of 1910 the old Sunday School
building was sold to Mr. T. C. Powell, and on
Monday, May 2, 1910, workmen began to tear
it away to make room for the handsome new
brick edifice to take its place. Many of the
members of the Sunday School felt a touch of
sadness in seeing the old building go, for even
its discolored walls and worn carpets were dear
to all who had found a home within its portals.
Many tender memories were enshrined there.
It had faithfully met the needs of its day and
time, but that day was now past. The friends
it had known in its youth were gone, many of
them, and its ways were not the ways of this
new generation. Its work was done and it was
ready to give way to a newer, larger, hand-
somer building, where the school could continue
its march of progress.
In 1881 the building was dedicated to God,
and to the service of Christian education, and
it was fitting that before it finished its course
God's blessing should be pronounced upon the
work that had been carried on there during
these years.
The farewell service was held in the build-
ing, Sunday, May 1, 1910, and the following
80 Edenton Street Sunday School
account is given of it in the Raleigh Daily
Times of the following day:
A large congregation worshiped at Edenton Street
Church yesterday morning. The communion service
was preceded by a few earnest remarks from the
pastor, Rev. H. M. North, on the subject of thanks-
giving. The communion should be partaken of in a
spirit of thanks. Instead of the usual church serv-
ice in the evening, a farewell service was held in the
Sunday School room. The present buildiDg has been
sold and will be removed this week so that work may
begin on the new $30,000 Sunday School building.
There is a feeling of sentiment connected with the
old building, felt by all who have grown up in the
Sunday School there, many of whom were baptized
and have been converted at its altars. The superin-
tendent has an especially tender feeling for the old
building as his was the first marriage performed
within its walls, while the church was being built.
The congregation last night was composed princi-
pally of those who are or have been connected with
the Sunday School, and to whom the service had a
special interest. Mr. North preached a splendid ser-
mon from the familiar words of the benediction, "And
now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love
of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost abide
with you always." It was a sermon most appropriate
to the occasion, the whole service bearing a tender
farewell note.
Many who attended the final service in the old
building passed out the doors with a feeling of
regret for the work of demolition that was to be
begun on the morrow.
Edenton Street Sunday School 81
THE NEW SUNDAY SCHOOL
Following the farewell service, the first Sun-
day in May, 1910, the next day workmen be-
gan to tear away the old Sunday School build-
ing to make way for the commodious and hand-
some brick edifice which stands today on the
same spot as the old building. It has been al-
most two years in building, for the work has
been many times delayed, so that the opening
has been deferred from time to time.
The result is well worth whatever there may
have been of discomfort and inconvenience in
meeting in the church, for Edenton Street has
a Sunday School building today which is a
credit not only to this church but to Southern
Methodism as well. Built of brick with trim-
mings of granite, it presents a handsome ap-
pearance. Inside, the building is even more
pleasing to the eye. Plain and substantial, it
is finished in dark oak, with oak chairs, and
furnishings in a harmonizing shade of green.
The building is entirely modern and up-to-
date, erected to meet the needs of a large and
growing school. It is conveniently arranged
and fitted, the individual class rooms being a
feature that will meet with universal favor and
will greatly aid in the teaching of the lesson.
6
82 Edenton Street Sunday School
The double row of class rooms, arranged in
semi-circular fashion, are so situated that the
platform will be visible from the most distant
seat. The auditorium and class rooms com-
bined will seat 1,500 people.
On the main floor are six class rooms, the
ladies' parlor, the library, intermediate and
primary departments, the primary department
being so divided as to carry on graded work.
Around the gallery above are one large and
eleven smaller class rooms with a large room in
the rear. The basement has been fitted up with
kitchen and serving room, with a large assem-
bly room which can be used as a dining room
when luncheons are served at the church. This
feature will be especially welcome to the ladies
of the church.
Mr. A. H. Green was chairman of the build-
ing committee, the other members being Mr.
Jos. G. Brown, J. W. Barber, D. G. Holt, F. H.
Phillips, I. M. Procter, M. W. Woodard, T. C.
Powell and W. J. Young, Jr. Mr. C. E.
Hartge is the architect and Mr. M. A. Moser
contractor and builder.
Into the building have gone the prayers and
hopes and expectations of a whole church. As
has already been said the women of the circles
Edenton Street Sunday School 83
have aided largely in contributions to the work,
while there is probably not a child in the Sun-
day School but that has given its mite.
Bishop Kilgo, in a recent visit to Raleigh,
paid a visit to the new building and expressed
his admiration and commendation in the high-
est terms, declaring it to be one of the finest and
most modernly equipped schools in the South-
ern church. A well known Sunday School
man, who has traveled largely, observing Sun-
day School work, says it is one of the finest he
knows of anywhere. With so much in its favor
Edenton Street Sunday School in the future
ought to be a far greater school than it has been
in the past. On the same spot of the former
school, it is indeed building on the same foun-
dations and ideals of the old school, into which
went the strength of many noble men and
women.
Looking to the opening day a vigorous cam-
paign has been carried on by the teachers to
bring in all the old scholars and many new ones
as well. The committees appointed have done
such effective work that this will be a great day
in the history of the school. The whole day
will be turned into a Sunday School celebra-
tion, three services being held.
84 Edenton Street Sunday School
The program committee is composed of Mrs.
"W. J. Young, chairman; Miss Bessie Brown,
Miss Ruth Hughes, Mrs. C. V. Albright and
Mr. H. E. Satterfield.
On the music committee are Mrs. E. M.
Hall, chairman ; Mrs. E. W. Hightower, Miss
Jennie Procter and Mr. W. B. Wright.
Edenton Street Sunday School 85
CONCLUSION
Today we can join with a full heart with the
poet in the hymn :
I love thy church, O God!
Her walls before thee stand,
Dear as the apple of thine eye,
And graven on thy hand.
For her my tears shall fall,
For her my prayers ascend,
To her my cares and toils be given,
Till toils and cares shall end.
In a very peculiar sense these words will find
lodgment in the hearts of all who love the
walls of old Edenton Street church. For more
than a century the church has stood on this
very spot which is truly hallowed ground.
From it ascended the prayers of our fathers in
days that are past. For Edenton Street church
their toils and cares were given until for them
the toils and cares have ended in perfect rest
and peace.
How many of us have stopped to give ai
thought to the early days of our church? Yet
they were glorious times and the story of them
ought to thrill every one who has the least in-
terest here today with a feeling of pride. Be-
86 Edenton Street Sunday School
cause we have reached the mountain top let us
not forget the way by which we climbed. While
we look forward with bright expectations to the
pleasant fields and high places of endeavor let
us not lose the strength that came only by sur-
mounting the heights of difficulty.
Today there stand out a number of mile-
stones to mark the line of progress. The first
one was erected in 1811, when one of the first
results of the first Methodist Conference held
in Raleigh was the erection of the First Metho-
dist Church. It was a wooden structure, 50x60
feet, and stood on the site of the Edenton
Street Church of the present. It was the first
house of worship built by any denomination in
the city and was finished in 1811. The lot on
which the church and parsonage are located was
donated by Hon. Wiley Jones.
The next milestone to be erected was one al-
ready mentioned, in this sketch, the founding
of Edenton Street Sunday School by Rev. Ben-
nett T. Blake in 1827.
In 1839 the first church building was con-
sumed by fire. Steps were taken immediately
to erect another and better house of worship,
and 1841 marks the entrance into the new
church.
SUPERINTENDENTS
1. Donald W. Bain, 1877-1880
2. William J. Young, 1866-1877; 1880-1898
3. Joseph G. Brown, 1898-1903; 1905-
Edenton Street Sunday School 87
The erection of a separate Sunday School
building in 1881 marks another period of de-
velopment, closely followed by the building and
dedication of the new church in 1887.
Today, Sunday, April 28, 1912, we go an-
other step farther and place another milestone
in the line of progress.
For more than a half century the same old
bell has been pealing out invitation. When
the new church was built it was the unanimous
opinion that no other bell could ever tell its
story quite so sweetly.
One of the oldest inhabitants of the city
tells a pretty story about this bell, which she
declares to be a fact. It was cast, she says, at
Burns' foundry in our own city, the members
of the church inarching around and throwing
in handfuls of silver when it was cast. There
seems to be no record of the fact, but it is stated
that a number of bells were cast at Burns' foun-
dry, and this was no doubt one of them. While
the rest of the story is probably only a tradi-
tion which was called forth by the unusual
sweetness and silvery tone, it adds a sentiment
to the old bell which we all have learned to
love.
88 Edenton Street Sunday School
May this great day draw all closer in love
and loyalty to the church and school which have
come hand in hand through the years, so closely
united. May we be inspired to greater, more
faithful and unselfish service, looking to the
Master of all to set His seal upon it.
Brighter still and brighter,
Glows the western sun,
Shedding all its gladness
O'er our work that's done;
Time will soon be over,
Toil and sorrow past,
May we, blessed Saviour,
Find a rest at last!
Onward, ever onward,
Journeying o'er the road
Worn by saints before us,
Journeying on to God!
Leaving all behind us,
May we hasten on,
Backward never looking
Till the prize is won.
Higher, then and higher,
Bear the ransomed soul,
Earthly toils forgetting,
Saviour, to its goal;
Where, in joys unthought of,
Saints with angels sing,
Never weary raising
Praises to their King.
APPENDIX
Edenton Street Sunday School 91
OPENING OF THE NEW SUNDAY SCHOOL
A more perfect day could not have been de-
sired than dawned Sunday, April 28, 1912.
Following a rainy Sunday the bright, sun-
shiny spring day was hailed with joy by many
hearts in the city, for it was to be a day of
great things, the biggest day in the history of
Edenton Street Methodist Sunday School, the
day when those who had labored unceasingly
for the new building and for a bigger school
were to see their hopes and expectations more
than realized. The formal opening of the new
building on this glorious Sunday morning was
a time of closer union and deeper love and
fellowship. Those who had any part in the
services or any interest in the school felt closer
drawn to each other through their common love
for the old school. There was a smile on every
face and a song in every heart. Though this
was not the formal dedication of the building,
it was a consecration in every true sense.
Three services were held during the day, the
exercises doing honor to the occasion and at-
tracting large congregations ; many coming
from the other churches of the city. Large col-
lections and pledges were raised, the total
92 Edenion Street Sunday School
amounting to something more than $4,000. Of
the $31,000 cost of the building, $14,000 of
this amount had already been paid.
The exercises were full of life and interest,
the music by a large orchestra and the singing
by a choir of white robed girls being a feature
of the day that was greatly enjoyed. The fol-
lowing order of services was observed at the
morning hour:
Orchestra — 9:30 to 10 o'clock.
Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow.
Prayer — Rev. H. M. North.
Scripture Lesson — Psalm 100. Responsively, School
standing.
Superintendent. — Make a joyful noise unto the Lord,
all ye lands.
School. — Serve the Lord with gladness: come before
His presence with singing.
Superintendent. — Know ye that the Lord He is God:
it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we
are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
School. — Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
and into His courts with praise: he thankful unto
Him, and bless His name.
Superintendent. — For the Lord is good; His mercy
is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all genera-
tions.
Hymn, No. 184.
Processional — Primary Department.
Song — Primary Department.
Presentation of Diplomas and Bibles.
Recognition of Cradle Roll.
Edenton Street Sunday School 93
Welcome — Worth Bagley Daniels.
Song, No. 70.
What the Sunday School Has Meant to One Class —
Clifton Beckwith.
The Baraca Class — Prof. W. C. Norton.
Chorus — Students from Blind Institution.
The Philathea Class— Mrs. H. E. Satterfield.
The Home Department — Mrs. V. Royster.
Male Quartette — A. and M. College.
History of the School — Miss Susan Iden.
Chorus.
Orchestra.
Hymn, No. 190.
Address — Dr. Dred Peacock.
Hymn, No. 196.
This Building — Joseph G. Brown, Superintendent.
This Occasion — Rev. H. M. North, Pastor.
Offering.
Hymn, No. 39.
Benediction.
Orchestra.
The congregation at the morning service
filled every available section of the great build-
ing. The seats were all taken, many extra
chairs being placed in the aisles and around the
gallery, while many people stood during a large
part of the exercises.
The address was delivered by Dr. Dred Pea-
cock, of High Point. He humorously depicted
the Sunday Schools of the time when he and
many of the older members of Edenton Street
94 Edenton Street Sunday School
school were boys and girls, and enumerated
some of the essentials to successful teaching.
During this service diplomas were presented
to the graduates of the primary department,
welcome was extended by Worth Bagiey Dan-
iels, and "What the Sunday School Has Meant
to One Class" was told by Mr. Clifton Beck-
with. Representatives of two other classes,
Prof. W. C. Norton, Baraca, and Mrs. H. E.
Satterfield, Philathea, told what was being
done in their classes. Mrs. Vitruvius Roy-
ster talked on the Home Department, and Miss
Susan Franks Iden read a synopsis of her his-
tory of the Sunday School, which had been pre-
pared for this occasion. The superintendent,
Mr. Joseph G. Brown, and the pastor, Rev.
Harry M. North, made a few appropriate re-
marks, and then those present were given the
opportunity to subscribe to the building fund.
At four o'clock in the afternoon fraternal
services were held, representatives of other
Sunday scho.ols in the city participating, the
following being the program :
Orchestra.
Hymn No. 153.
Prayer — John T. Pullen.
Go Forward — J. Van Carter.
Edenton Street Sunday School 95
Greetings from Other Methodists — Rev. C. J. Harrell.
Solo — Mr. Beasley.
Greetings from Our Neighbors — Col. Fred A. Olds,
C. H. Stephenson, E. B. Crow, N. B. Broughton.
Hymn No. 206.
Solo — Mrs. Horace Dowell.
A Suggestion from the Pastor.
Doxology.
Orchestra.
Although the audience at the afternoon serv-
ice was not as large as in the morning or in
the evening, to many this was the most interest-
ing service of the day. The speeches were
short and live and there was good music, the
singing being mostly congregational, a point
that had been stressed at all the services.
At this meeting greetings were received from
the churches and Sunday schools of other de-
nomination, and these all breathed the spirit
of friendship and good will, rejoicing with the
Methodists in their day of achievement. Mr.
Joseph G. Brown, the superintendent, presided.
The opening prayer was made by Mr. John T.
Pullen.
The first speaker was Mr. J. Van Carter,
general secretary of the North Carolina Sun-
day School Association. Mr. Carter's theme
was "Go Forward." Rev. C. J. Harrell, pas-
96 Edenton Street Sunday School
tor of Epworth Church, brought greetings from
the other Methodists of the city. Such an oc-
casion, he declared, brought joy to all, but the
Methodists of the city were especially proud
of it. It is a working plant for the Methodist
Church, and through it to the kingdom of God.
A building like it means a strengthening of the
fold, and he was proud of it.
The greeting from the Episcopalian neigh-
bors was brought by Col. Fred A. Olds, and as
the man who shows Raleigh to visitors, he de-
clared he would not forget about this building.
He especially commended the teacher-training
department of the school.
Mr. C. H. Stephenson, superintendent of the
Christian Sunday School, declared this was his
first day of speech-making, but he was happy to
bring the greeting of the nearest neighbor.
Mr. E. B. Crow, who like "Brer Rabbit"
had been born and bred, not in the "brier
patch," but in the Presbyterian Church, gave
seven points that characterize an ideal Sunday
School, the first two of which he declared Eden-
ton Street School already possessed, ideal
equipment and an ideal superintendent.
The last greeting was from Mr. 1ST. B.
Broughton, the live superintendent of the Tab-
Edenton Street Sunday School 97
ernacle Sunday School, and the man, who., Mr.
Brown declared, was known whether at home,
in Boston or Jerusalem, as "the Sunday School
man." Mr. Broughton's greeting was very
heartily expressed. He recalled his boyhood
days and the Union Sunday School picnics, tell-
ing an amusing incident of the little boy who
was greedily clutching for two handfuls of cake
and when reproved his mother exclaimed: "Eat
just as much as you want to, John William, you
belong to the big Methodist Sunday School !"
Mr. Broughton wished she could see the "big
Methodist Sunday School" of today. He de-
clared he had seen a good many of the best
buildings in the country, but he had never seen
a better building for Sunday School work and
he was proud of it.
At eight o'clock in the evening the opening
day's exercises were brought to a close with the
following services :
Anthem.
Hymn No. 659.
Prayer.
Scripture Lesson.
Offertory.
Hymn No. 658.
Sermon — Rev. Leslie P. Howard.
Hymn No. 192.
Benediction.
7
98 Edenton Street Sunday School
The members of the Sunday School and
church and many visitors of other denomina-
tions met again at eight o'clock in the Sunday
School auditorium, to conclude a day that had
been so full of interest, and one on which even
the weather had smiled in brightest favor.
Rev. II. M. North, the pastor, said that for
the closing message of the day they were to
have Rev. Leslie P. Howard, pastor of the
Methodist Church at Rocky Mount, and while
this was not saying that they were saving the
best for the last, those who listened to, his mag-
nificent sermon, a message of hope and faith,
and high ideals, felt lifted and inspired and
felt that this was indeed a fitting message to
have at the close of such an eventful day.
Mr. Howard's text was Genesis 28:12-14, the
vision of Jacob recorded in his dream of the
ladder stretching from earth to Heaven.
Surely this must be a place, he declared, where
men must dream dreams and see visions and go
out into the world and find the vision and
dream to be The real thing. In after years
they will come back again, as Jacob did to
Bethel, and find again the heavenly vision.
He declared this building should be dedicated
to the eternal thing in man that keeps him
Edenton Street Sunday School 99
above the beast. It should be dedicated to re-
ligion so that all men may become religious.
Mr. Howard did not despair of modern life,
he declared, because unseen powers lurk in
the souls of men about us. When the infinite
forces of man assert themselves then he is
linked on to the eternal. To the task of bring-
ing out these forces in men this building should
be dedicated.
So the day came to a close, and while rising
to the mountain top and looking back over the
rugged way by which this triumphant day had
been attained, a glance was also cast toward the
future to catch a glimpse of the heavenly vision
that raised Jacob.
100 Edenton Street Sunday School
PASTORS
Beginning with the founder of the school, Rev.
Bennett T. Blake, in 1827:
1827. Bennett T. Blake.
1828. George A. Bain.
1829. George W. Nolley.
1830. Abram Penn.
1831. Melville B. Cox, Bennett T. Blake.
1832. James McDonald.
1833. John Kerr, Daniel Hall.
1834. James Jameison.
1835. James Jameison.
1836. George W. Langhorne.
1837. Edward Wadsworth.
1838. Joseph H. Davis.
1839. William S. Johnson.
1840. John Todd Brame.
1841. William S. Johnson, Bennett T. Blake.
1842. Sidney D. Bumpas.
1843. Sidney D. Bumpas.
1844. John E. Edwards.
1845. John E. Edwards.
1846. Thomas S. Campbell.
1847. Robert O. Burton.
1848. Robert O. Burton.
1849. Rufus T. Heflin.
1850. Rufus T. Heflin.
1851. Peter Doub.
1852. Peter Doub.
1853. William E. Pell.
1854. William E. Pell.
1855. Numa P. Reid.
1856. Numa P. Reid.
1857. Joseph H. Wheeler.
Edenton Street Sunday School 101
1858. L. L. Hendren.
1859. L. L. Hendren.
1860. Joel W. Tucker.
1861. Joel W. Tucker.
1862. John S. Long.
1863. John S. Long.
1864. Braxton Craven.
1865. Braxton Craven.
1866. H. T. Hudson.
1867. H. T. Hudson.
1868. H. T. Hudson.
1869. H. T. Hudson.
1870. Jonathan H. Dally.
1871. L. S. Burkhead.
1872. Adolphus W. Mangum.
1873. Adolphus W. Mangum.
1874. Adolphus W. Mangum.
1875. Adolphus W. Mangum, L. S. Burkhead.
1876. L. S. Burkhead.
1877. L. S. Burkhead.
1878. William S. Black.
1879 William S. Black.
1880. William S. Black.
1881. Augustus A. Boshamer.
1882. E. A. Yates.
1883. E. A. Yates.
1884. W. C. Norman.
1885. W. C. Norman.
1886. W. C. Norman.
1887. W. C. Norman.
1888. J. T. Gibbs.
1889. J. T. Gibbs.
1890. J. H. Cordon.
1891. J. H. Cordon.
1892. J. N. Cole.
102 Edenton Street Sunday School
1893.
J. N. Cole.
1894.
J. N. Cole.
1895.
J. N. Cole.
1896.
W. C. Norman.
1897.
W. C. Norman.
1898.
W. C. Norman.
1899.
"W. C. Norman.
1900.
G. F. Smith.
1901.
G. F. Smith.
1902.
G. F. Smith.
1903.
G. F. Smith.
1904.
R. F. Bumpas.
1905.
R. F. Bumpas.
1906.
R. F. Bumpas.
1907.
R. F. Bumpas.
1908.
F. M. Shamburger.
1909.
F. M. Shamburger, W. A. Stanbury.
1910.
H. M. North.
1911.
H. M. North.
1912.
H. M. North.
SUPERINTENDENTS
Nathaniel O. Blake, reported as the first superin-
tendent, was appointed in 1827, serving only a short
time.
Rev. Thomas J. LeMay, served until May 19, 1850,
with the exception of two years filled by L. W. Peck.
S. H. Young, May 19, 1850— May 27, 1866.
W. J. Young, May 27, 1866— September 24, 1877.
Donald W. Bain, September 24, 1877— October 19,
1880.
W. J. Young (second term), October 19, 1880-1898.
Joseph G. Brown, 1898-1903.
W. J. Young, Jr., 1903-1905.
Joseph G. Brown (second term), 1905 —
Date
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